Location: 1042 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109, United States
Telephone Number: +1 415-829-7700
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 7:00am to 2:00pm; Saturday to Sunday 8:00am to 2:00pm; Cruffins come out at 9:00am
Official Website: Mr Holmes Bakehouse
Facebook: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
Instagram: mrholmesbakehouse
MR HOLMES BAKEHOUSE: Instagram Popular Cruffin Bakery “Gentrifies” Tendernob in San Francisco
Those wild lines outside an unassuming storefront along Larkin Street is not a charity drive by a church. In the notorious neighborhood of Tendernob where the mentally ill war veterans and homeless crawl in a pseudo video simulation of the zombie apocalypse, there stood the brave Mr Holmes Bakehouse created by co-founders Aaron Caddel and baker genius Ry Stephens. If Hong Kong has its Jenny Bakery and butter cookies, San Francisco has Mr Holmes Bakehouse and cruffins.
Since opening in November 2014, Mr Holmes Bakehouse has a rough year to begin with. A theft incident had recently been reported at Mr Holmes Bakehouse, where surprisingly, thieves passed by a cash register full of money and stole Ry Stephen’s recipes instead. And in a shocking move, Ry Stephens has parted ways from Mr Holmes Bakehouse, though former owner Aaron Caddel has no comment about it. Cruffins might be sprouting in other areas of San Francisco, but Mr Holmes Bakehouse manages to retain its hype in Instagram, its brick and mortar decorated with white tiles and “I Got Baked in San Francisco” neon lettering taking centerstage in Instagram posts. It must be the most photographed side of the bakery.
If you’re going to buy some croissants here, line up on the right side of the store. Lines can start as early as 6:00 in the morning, and people are willing to fall in line even amidst misty weather and pouring rain. If you’re oblivious to the fact you’re in Tenderloin, then these lines should scare you more than a bunch of pimps strolling around. But if you’re in for some of Mr. Holmes’ most popular Cruffins, you should line on the left side of the store.
Here are some of Mr Holmes’ creations we tried.
California Croissant
Mr Holmes’ croissant is already divine enough, imagine it stuffed with salmon, nori, ginger and wasabi. It’s just plain, f*cking genius to be able to do this, a serious case of “Why haven’t I thought of that before?!”. I loved the layers of croissant so painstakingly made, and when you douse it with soy sauce, it’s just unbelievable.
It’s just sad to return home to Manila’s pitiful franchise of Eric Kayser and their croissant quality.
Passion Fruit Brioche Donuts
They do different flavors of donuts, such as Fluffernutter, Pineapple Curd and Caramelized Banana, so you should check out their Facebook page for the week’s menu on brioche donuts.
Torched Meringues
Amelie Amann
It’s not your usual Kouign Amann and you know how much I love Kouign Amann. The Amelie Amann is stuffed with pineapple custard and again, the sweet layers of Kouign Amann giving it a unique twist. Two thumbs up!
Cruffins
A portmanteau for “croissant” and “muffin”, Cruffins are Mr Holmes’ signature croissants baked in muffin tin cans, their towering appearance unmistakeable to anyone who passes by it. It is sold on a corner of the bakery, thus the reason for a separate line for the Cruffin. Cruffins are stuffed with custard cream depending on the flavor for the week, and has become the most popular pastry at Mr Holmes Bakehouse. Some of the flavors they’ve had include Chai Spice, Almond Joy, Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip and Sightglass Coffee with Maple.
Mostly people come to the bakery to snap a photo of it and post on Instagram. The owners recommend coming here between 9:00am to 10:00am where morning lines have slightly died down and Cruffins have just come out of the oven.
But of course, you wouldn’t want to come here too late. Or they’d be sold out before their closing time at 2pm. Crazy!
Sightglass Coffee
During my visit, Mr Holmes served Sightglass Coffee for breakfast, one of San Francisco’s popular coffee roastery. Sometimes they serve Intelligentsia Coffee roasters too.
If you’re wondering how wildly popular Mr Holmes Bakehouse is, we actually had our box of goodies stolen at a laundry shop around the corner from the bakery. So much for being safe in Tenderloin.
Better keep an eye on your pastries. They’re more attracted to it than your wad of cash.
Mr Holmes Bakehouse Rating:
[usrlist “Taste and Originality: 4.5” “Customer Experience: 3” “Value for Money: 3” “Brick and Mortar: 3.5”]